Using the Raspberry Pi Camera in Python3/PyQt5 applications using picamera2 lib

The Raspberry Pi camera module is a popular choice for capturing high-quality images and video with the Raspberry Pi. In this article, we will explore how to use the Raspberry Pi camera in Python3/PyQt5 applications using the picamera2 library.

Installing the picamera2 library

Before we can use the picamera2 library, we need to install it on our Raspberry Pi. We can do this using pip, the Python package manager. Open a terminal on your Raspberry Pi and run the following command:

pip3 install picamera2

Capturing images with the Raspberry Pi camera

Once the picamera2 library is installed, we can start capturing images with the Raspberry Pi camera. Below is an example Python3 code snippet using the picamera2 library to capture an image:


import picamera2

with picamera2.PiCamera() as camera:
camera.capture('image.jpg')


The code above initializes the camera and captures an image, saving it as image.jpg in the current directory. We can then use this image in our Python3/PyQt5 application.

Displaying the camera feed in a PyQt5 application

Now that we know how to capture images with the Raspberry Pi camera, let’s explore how to display the camera feed in a PyQt5 application. Below is an example Python3 code snippet that creates a PyQt5 window and displays the camera feed using the picamera2 library:


import sys
from PyQt5.QtWidgets import QApplication, QLabel
from PyQt5.QtGui import QPixmap
import picamera2

app = QApplication(sys.argv)

label = QLabel()
label.show()

with picamera2.PiCamera() as camera:
camera.start_preview(fullscreen=False, window=(100, 100, 640, 480))
camera.capture('image.jpg')
pixmap = QPixmap('image.jpg')
label.setPixmap(pixmap)
label.resize(pixmap.width(), pixmap.height())

sys.exit(app.exec_())


The code above creates a PyQt5 window, displays the camera feed, captures an image, and displays it in the window. This is just a simple example, but it demonstrates how we can integrate the Raspberry Pi camera with a PyQt5 application.

Conclusion

Using the Raspberry Pi camera in Python3/PyQt5 applications is a great way to create interactive and engaging projects. The picamera2 library provides a simple and powerful interface for capturing images and video with the Raspberry Pi camera, and integrating it with a PyQt5 application allows us to build interactive user interfaces for our projects.